Insubordinate
by AdraLoran
Summary: Rating liable to change. Adra Loran three years after Inyri's born. Fun stuff, more Wraith Squadron AU. Cowritten with NicolaAfyon
1. Fight

Title: Insubordinate  
Author: AdraLoran & NicolaAfyon  
Rating: PG-PG13

**Chapter One - Fight**

Adra grimaced as Inyri climbed over the hanger wall, a good ten feet from the floor.  She would've used the Force to get her daughter back except the only thing that was keeping her on her feet at this very moment was her demanding help from the Force.  Silently she reminded herself that she had to remain awake long enough to talk to Face.  Her two and a half year old was caught by Mace Windu just as she jumped.  Adra walked over slowly, a smile dimly lighting her face.  Master Windu set Inyri on her feet, holding one of her hands as they crossed the hanger to meet.

With a smile, the Jedi master transferred the girl's hand from his to her mother's.  Adra gave the master a thankful nod in accompaniment to her thanks in the Force.  Mace Windu nodded once in return before he walked back into the Temple.  Adra felt the tug on her hand just as Inyri tried to go see some ships she hadn't noticed before.  She grabbed the ladder currently hooked to the durasteel siding of her cockpit to keep from falling over.  This definitely wasn't the time to have an energetic two and a half year old all to herself for a day.  Two hands found their way to her shoulders and a voice accompanied them soon after.

"Inyri, what are you trying to do?  Pull Mommy into the durasteel?"  A mental sigh of relief floated across Adra's mind as Face took a hand from her shoulder to grab the toddler's hand.

* * * * *

Behind Jade, Nicola sat watching the computer screen.  Jade's hands moved nonstop over the keyboard for a full five minutes before abruptly coming to a halt.  Nicola glanced at the screen, wondering if Jade were done already.  The screen still had blanks.  A crease growing along her brow, she looked around to see Jade's face.  The woman was staring at the screen, sort of, but appeared to be more intertwined with the Force at this point.  About to wave a hand in front of Jade's nose, just to be sure, the Jedi looked over at Nicola sharply.

"Adra."

It was one word, but immediate suspicions ran across Nicola's head.  First thing to pop up was 'no, I'm Nicola, not Adra' before the thought that something had happened to Adra sprouted.  Not knowing if she wanted the answer, she looked back at Jade, her face appearing calm.

"What about her?"  It would no doubt be answered by three to five words, considering Jade didn't find any use for them.

"She's pregnant."  The answer came quicker than Nicola had expected and it certainly wasn't what she'd expected.  Though she knew better than to doubt Jade, Nicola found it a bit startling.  Then the memory of what Adra said about being up all night came back to her head.  That would be why Adra said nothing:  she wasn't positive of the fact, even with the Force.  Throwing up at 0200 would've affirmed it for her.

* * * * *

"It was needless disregard for orders, that's what it was!"

Face's voice carried over the distance of the room.  He was standing at the door, Adra herself by the table.  The highlighted topic was Adra's missing of an information conference that the squadron leaders and other important military personal based on Coruscant had to attend.  Because she was one of the two New Republic computer hackers, the 'invitation' was also extended to her.  And she'd missed it.  That wasn't exactly her fault.  She'd gotten sick that morning and didn't want to give it to anyone else.  Of course, her perspective on the 'sickness' was also different now.  With aid from the Force, the final analysis was far from the throwing up thing being over within a week.  Face had been more than a little upset, considering he'd taken the blame for it from Wedge and General bel Iblis, but it wasn't exactly as if it could've been avoided.  Face had known she'd not been feeling well, but apparently it hadn't had enough standing.  Now he was tacking that on to her disobeying an order in a recent furball and marking her actions as insubordination.

"That's all fine and great Face; you knew even before you met me that I had a record for being iffy about following orders I don't agree with.  Don't start flipping out about it now," she retorted, her tone much more calm than his, even if on the inside she was burning with rage.

"Yeah, and it's a shame I didn't read more into it.  Just because you're married to me doesn't give you a sudden ability to disregard military orders on account of having a squadron commander to vouch for you-"

Her expression darkened quickly and she all but jumped from her seat.  "How dare you say that?  In case you've forgotten, I was getting along very well without you, even before Nicola got us to stop fighting!  I was perfectly fine being a Jedi Knight, a computer hacker and an insubordinate pilot.  Don't you go dismissing the fact that Nicola and I ran Wild Knights before Wedge passed his stupid thing on only being on one squadron roster.  I'm not a complete idiot who couldn't survive without orders to meet, Garik Loran."

Face mouthed wordlessly at her as she completed her outburst.  Instead of thinking of a comeback, he turned on his heel and headed for the door.  Adra stared daggers at Face's back, watching him walk heatedly from the room.  The moment the door closed though, she was fighting back tears.  Just another oh-so-wonderful side affect of pregnancy:  being overly emotional.  But the fact that he'd accused her of using the fact that she was married to him as an easy way out of listening to orders was beyond it.  It was unfair to assume such a thing just because of one error.  Adra quickly whipped the tears from her cheeks, oblivious to the fact that she was now sitting on the couch.  Inyri was off with the Antilles girls, which was probably a good thing.  Only half knowing what she was thinking, she dialed up Iella's com.

"Antilles."  The reply was immediate.

"Hi Iella, it's Adra.  Look, I was wondering, would you mind if Inyri spent the night?  I know you'd offered it before, but I wasn't sure if you'd made plans."

Iella listened patiently as Adra finished.  There was a few seconds' pause, but it was quickly filled.  "Of course Inyri can stay here.  I'll send Wedge over after dinner to collect some clothes for her."  
"Thanks so much, Iella.  Have a good night."  Iella relayed the same message back then the Adra turned the comunit off.

Silently, Adra walked out of the room, fingers on her right hand brushing the wall as she walked towards the sims.  Once inside the room, she slipped a datacard into the computer.  It was almost five years old now, and she had made it when she first joined the Wraiths.  The words written on it were faded to the point where one really needed to try to interpret.  In the last three years, the disk hadn't been used as much as it had before then.  But it was still used.  Whenever Face and Adra got in a fight, Face would usually end up leaving the room.  So she would just go and grab her datacard and make due with that.  Adra climbed into the sim cockpit, getting settled easily.  Her flight helmet donned, she looked over the controls.


	2. A Proper Dressing Down

**Chapter Two – A Proper Dressing Down**

Nicola watched silently from her sim cockpit, having activated it in time to log in the systems and watch.  She'd expected Adra to be going up against a few squadrons of TIEs or merely redoing a former battle.  It was neither.  Her lit tactical screen showed what the identical X-Wings on 'outside' image didn't.  Adra and Face had gotten into some kind of fight and now her friend was pissed at her husband.  She watched the remainder of the sim; Adra blew up one X-Wing after another, pulling through an interesting move at one point the caused the moving mass of the proton torpedo to make the X-Wing veer sharply into it's "wingmate".  Nicola only needed to prod her friend's boiling emotions to get the full story of what had happened.

Before the sim ended in its entirety- there was only one 'enemy' X-Wing left- Nicola opened the sim cockpit.  She climbed out, shaking her head slightly.  Instead of waiting for Adra to get out and growl complaints at her, she walked out of the room to retrieve Face.

The pilot was exactly where she expected him to be: the bar.  Rolling her eyes, Nicola grabbed Face's collar and pulled him from his seat.  Kell and Elix, who had been sitting on either side of him, hadn't noticed her walk in and were, to say the least, startled.  Face hadn't noticed her come in either, but an acting face held on his features and that was that.  Kell and Elix started to stand but Face shook his head.

"Nah, never mind guys.  Somehow I had the feeling I'd be dragged off."

The other two nodded, but it was Nicola who spoke.  "Yeah, must be developing a Force sense.  And as such, maybe you can help me clear up some stuff."

Face opened his mouth, obviously to reply to her comments, but Nicola grabbed his shoulders, spun him around in an about face, and shoved him forward.  He didn't put up too much fight, to his benefit, and walked out into the hall.  Nicola marched him down the hallway until they reached a conference room.  She keyed the door and then grabbed his collar, pulling him inside.  She keyed the door once more then took up a position in leaning against it slightly.  Face was rubbing his neck, probably sore from the harsh pulling of the collar of his jumpsuit.  She didn't speak, just watched him move across the room.

"What?" he finally asked it a bit snippily, but none the less asked at.  Nicola gestured to one of the chairs and he sat after a moment's hesitation.

"What is that you're being a self-centered jerk.  Your wife was up nearly all night puking her brains out while you were in the lounge playing sithin' sabacc."  Face gaped at her, then looked like he wanted to comment, but Nicola plowed on.  "On top of that, you accuse her of using her personal life to affect her military life in that she's 'using' her marriage to you to get away with being insubordinate.  If I need to remind you very plainly, Face Loran, even before you two were married Adra couldn't give blaster bolts over whether she was insubordinate or not."

Nicola stopped speaking, letting her words sink in.  Face's features remained seemingly frozen in his original gape.  She waited as patiently as she could, listening for his response.  And that response would most likely be a question.

"Is Adra okay?  I mean, she's not sick, right?"  Yes, she was right.  Questions.  Her expression, however, didn't show any of that.  Instead, it darkened and she fixed him with a steady glare.

"Gee, I wonder.  When was the last time Adra spent successive nights in the 'fresher?"  She paused as if waiting for an answer.  He didn't even bother opening his mouth anymore, since he obviously knew Nicola wasn't going to let him comment.  Which she wasn't.  "Adra's kriffing pregnant and she, apparently, was going to tell you earlier today.  As she unwittingly enlightened me to, you decided that you were going to start an argument.  At this rate, you're lucky she's still at Wraith headquarters."

Face looked a number of things in a series of seconds.  First it was shock, then it was happiness- Adra had told Nicola approximately six months ago that she and Face had decided they wanted another child- then something like self-loathing.  The self-loathing stayed as a constant for a nearly ten seconds before it turned abruptly to worry.  Seeing the comprehension dawn not only on his face, but in his mind, Nicola continued.

"Which leaves you in a sticky situation, Loran, because last I saw of your wife she was shooting your X-Wing in the sims."

Face scowled slightly, more at himself than at Nicola.  "So you're telling me that I've basically made myself a stranger to her."

She nodded.  "For the most part."  Nicola paused, looking through the webbing branches of the Force to locate her friend.  It wasn't all too hard.  Adra's presence was stationary on the couch in her and Face's living quarters.  "I'd suggest that, for starters, you should go talk to her."

The pilot didn't even wait for anything else she had to say.  He was past her and out the door before she could've said 'slingball' if she'd wanted to.  But as it so happens, Nicola was quite happy with his reaction so instead she left to occupy Asyr and Gaeriel past their scheduled sim against Adra and herself.

* * * * *

Adra's forehead was in her hands as she stared into the blackness behind her eyelids.  Three years ago, she'd sworn she never ever wanted to go through the pregnancy thing again.  After Inyri was born, her thoughts had changed in that respect.  She loved her daughter, always would.  And now she was pregnant again.  Only difference was that when she was pregnant with Inyri, Face had known pretty much as soon as she had and he had supported her.  She had wanted to tell him earlier today but instead had ended up somehow provoking an argument from him.  Not the thing she'd wanted to do.

Her spirits fell even further as she heard footsteps halting in front of the door across the room.  This day just kept getting worse.  She didn't bother lifting her eyes from the floor as the door released and the footsteps entered.  There was a pause, then the sounds of the door closing once more.  The footsteps sounded closer and the toes of two boots came into her limited line of vision.  Yes, this day was getting worse.  No, it didn't look like it was going to get better.

Face gave a soft sigh from in front of her, obviously ready to speak.  Instead of waiting for the words that would, undoubtedly, be a follow up to their earlier 'conversation', she stood abruptly, hoping to the ends of the universe that she wouldn't be struck with a wave of nausea as she did so.  She wasn't, thankfully, and instead she looked straight at Face.

"I don't want to hear it."  His mouth was half open, showing that she'd stopped whatever he was going to say, as she turned to walk away from the confrontation.  She'd taken two paces before one of Face's hands had grabbed her wrist.  Not in the mood to put strength behind getting away from the grip on her limb, she allowed herself to be turned around once more.

"That's not what I was going to talk about.  Well, sort of, but not really.  I want to tell you I'm sorry.  Nicola gave me a Flight Officer's dressing down a few minutes ago.  In said conversation, she also enlightened me to my error in not letting you talk."  Face said this rather quickly, but Adra caught every word.  She looked up at him, slightly suspicious, but none the less ready to listen.  Realizing he was waiting for her to reply, she quickly cast around for something to say.

"Uh-huh.  So what did she have to say on why you should've listened to me."  Her voice came across a bit bitterly, even to her own ears, but she didn't really care.  At this point all she wanted to do was go to sleep, but with the conversation beginning to sound like it wasn't going to be over as quickly as she would've liked, she forced herself to keep alert.

When Face responded, his voice had softened and was lower.  "How about something to the effect that you're pregnant again."

That answer shocked Adra.  She hadn't told Nicola; she had been waiting to tell Face first.  How had she figured it out?  The memory of Nicola walking into the sims when she wasn't exactly trying to mute her emotions flashed across her mind; she must've figured it out then.  Her blue eyes looked up quickly to search the green ones that were boring down on her face.  Unconsciously, Adra nodded, accepting both the statement and at the same time verifying it's truth.  The hand released her wrist, instead moving to pull her into a hug.

Adra, however, wasn't in a mood to forgive so quickly.  She waited a moment in Face's embrace before she wriggled from his grip, shaking her head ever so slightly as she went.  Not wanting to see the look her husband's face held, she turned once more and walked off towards the bedroom of the apartment.  Her hand brushed the control panel, causing the door to close.  She sat down on the far side of the bed and tugged her boots off.  She wriggled easily out of her jumpsuit, kicking it towards the wall in a messy pile.  Her tank top looked more peach than white in the light, her shorts maintaining the black appearance they always held.  Adra killed the lights through the Force as she settled herself under the covers.

She curled in a ball on her side, trying to keep herself warm under the still-cool covers.  Absently her mind registered Face entering the room.  A simple brush of his mind with the Force caused her to rethink her idea on not forgiving him as easily as he would've liked.  The seconds passed in silence, but it wasn't long before Face climbed into the other side of the bed.  Adra waited for the feeling of the covers moving to stop, the movement next to her aborted as well, before she rolled over onto her other side.  The act brought her directly under her husband's arm.  Happiness bubbled in the Force as he slid an arm around her waist.  She set her head down on his chest and gave a soft sigh.  Her eyes flickered shut once more, the last conscious thought that of comfort and protection as Face kissed the crown of her head.


	3. 2417

**Chapter Three – 2417**

Face was woken up again at 2417, according to the chrono on the wall. A darkened figure was just exiting the room and he noticed in about the same moment that the only indication that Adra had even been with him was the rumpled sheets next to him. With a sudden understanding of what time it was and why the figure- Adra- had been leaving the room at midnight, he shook his head slightly. Such a wonderful thing, dealing with her morning sickness and the sarcastic remarks that accompanied it. Not even thinking as he pushed himself off the bed to follow her, he quickly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The 'fresher light was lit and he saw the shadow of a person drop to her knees rather unceremoniously.

He entered the 'fresher, walking over to stand behind her. As she threw up the small contents of her stomach, Face knelt down behind her and slightly to the side. His right hand grabbed the hair that had loosed itself from her braided hair, his left splaying over her back to rub the taunt muscles he found there. Her stomach's purge completed, Adra rocked back on her knees to sit on her heels, swaying slightly, as if her sense of balance wasn't up to par. Face's hand left her back to steady her shoulder, his right hand following. After a minute, his wife seemed to collect some sort of strength to move on and she used the hand he offered to stand up. Face stood on his own, and led Adra through what had become the 'routine'. It was to the sink first, to brush the disgusting taste from her mouth, then she'd grab a glass of water. After that, she went back to bed, feeling worse- if possible- than before.

Once Adra had spit out the water in her mouth, rather than letting her shimmy back through the next two rooms, Face scooped her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom. Under any normal circumstances, Adra would've demanded to be let down. Under any circumstances such as the ones she was in right now, Adra seemed perfectly content to allow someone else to do the work. He carried Adra through the bedroom door and walked quietly to where she had been lying before, setting her down as gently as possible. She hardly moved but to reposition her head. Face smiled slightly, then went back around to his former place of rest. As soon as he was under the covers once more, he felt her move closer. The movement stopped, accompanied by a warm cheek against his shoulder.

* * * * *

At approximately 0700, Adra was out of bed. Inyri would be getting home soon enough; Iella had promised to fly her over around 0830. With the hour an a half she had left, Adra decided to go to the lounge and just sit there for a while. When she walked through the lounge door, however, she caught sight of Face and Kell sitting at a table, discussing something rather nonchalantly.

"-why does everyone call me Garik Loran? The name's _Face Loran; Garik was a stupid kid who acted in Imp holovids."_

Adra smiled in spite of herself as she went over to where they were sitting. Instead of pulling out a chair, she sat on the back of the couch nearest, which really wasn't that far. Though uninvited, it certainly had never stopped her from joining in a conversation. "No, Garik Loran is what we call you when we're pissed at you."

Absently she reached for the mug in front of Face, assuming it was caf. Her hand was intercepted however, and Face gave her a sidelong glance. Realizing that if there was any caf in that mug at all that it wouldn't be straight caf, Adra nodded. Kell, Adra noticed, watched the exchange silently.

"Isn't everyone pissed at me?" Face asked after a moment.

Rolling her eyes, she grinned at his words. Usually, yes, everyone _was_ pissed at Face in one way or another. Too bad. "Not always. Only when you're being stupid."

Face opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced by Kell's hand rising, as if to wait being called on. Adra raised an eyebrow at Kell and he spoke at once, usual Kell charm intact.

"But aren't we Wraiths always stupid?"

Whether she had wanted to hurt him or not, Adra didn't get her moment. Face looked darkly at Kell as his friend finished speaking. "Shut up, Kell," was all he said.

Now slightly thoughtful on what Kell had meant about all of them being relatively stupid most of the time, she finally shakes her head. "No, not always. Only sometimes. Like when you wanna blow Cloud up for gong out with your sister. Or when Ryok is being an idiot over arguing with that sister of his. Or when Face doesn't stop and listen to people who actually have more important things to say than complain about insubordinate significant others."

The last part brought a grin to everyone's faces, no matter that Face and Kell exchanged a look.

"I think I liked Dia better than her," Kell said confidentially to Face. Adra shot him a hard glare the moment the words were past his lips. She wasn't the only one in that respect. Face was glaring at Kell just as much, only he was close enough to do something about it. After a moment in which Kell thought he was safe, Face shoved him out of his seat and onto the floor.

Adra smiled happily once more, quickly taking the seat Kell 'vacated' moments before. Kell was sitting as if he were a spoilt child told he couldn't have a new toy, glaring at them both. She felt Face's arm go around her silently, watching as Kell rolled his eyes. Adra silenced a sarcastic reply of her own by vacating Kell's seat to sit instead on Face's lap. Kell rolled his eyes once more, and this time Adra didn't hesitate to reply.

"Kell, you don't mean to tell me you'd be doing differently with Tyria Sarkin, do you?" Her tone was rather taunting, but it had no less meaning that if she'd said it in all seriousness. Kell scowled at her before getting up and retaking his seat, Adra all the while resisting the urge to kick him. Before she could carry out on that wish, however, she felt the arm around her waist tighten, as if in a silent 'be quiet'. Adra turned her head to look at Face sharply, eyes narrowed. He raised an eyebrow, the greenish color of his eyes sparkling. Feeling her glare begin to ebb away, she hastened to smile over a mangled expression. Kell could be heard mutter something to the effect of 'crazy squadron commanders' next to them. Adra gave Face a quick kiss on the cheek before jamming her heel into Kell's side.


	4. Sleep Would Be Good

**Chapter Four – Sleep Would Be Good**

Adra grinned slightly as Iella and Wedge pulled up in a speeder, Inyri and the Antilles girls sitting in the back seat.  When Iella opened the door for her, Inyri jumped out and ran full force into Adra's knees, hugging them tightly.  Laughing slightly, Adra pried her loose and picked up her the three-year-old.  Iella, Wedge and the girls were all walking over now, Wedge carrying the bag Adra had left for him to take for Inyri.

"Hey guys," Adra grinned to each Antilles in turn, "Can I safely assume that nothing got blown up last night?"

Wedge nodded and grinned, then winked at Inyri.  "Nah, Syal and Myri had fun playing babysitter.  'Nyri didn't get much of a chance to cause any mayhem."

Smiling, Adra nodded while her daughter yawned and put her head on her mother's shoulder.  Raising an eyebrow, she looked back to Wedge and Iella.  "I take it you stayed up late then?"

Syal and Myri giggled slightly but didn't comment past nodding.  Instead, Iella filled in the gaps.  "We got very caught up watching _Secret Horizons_, one of Wynssa Starflare's.  I just didn't realize the time when we actually put the holovid on."

She nodded again, accepting that excuse.  Besides, it would be fine with her if her daughter were tired for a day.  It would prove her suspicions wrong that Inyri never ran out of energy.  Adra turned as she sensed Face walking up behind her.  He grinned at Inyri's tired form and gently took her from Adra's arms.  Iella grinned slightly but then it dimmed ever so slightly.  Adra had the vague impression she was wondering why Adra had requested Inyri stay the night.  Well, they'd be better of knowing anyway.  Face grinned at her before he turned and carried Inyri off towards the building.

"Would you guys like to come inside?  I'm sure Ryok and Elix can entertain the girls.  I'd like a word with you both."

If their attention was on her before, she wouldn't have guessed it by the new looks on their faces.  They both nodded once then led their girls inside.  Adra followed after them, watching the Antilles family as it happily made its way inside.  With an inaudible sigh, she silently wished that her family would end up so happy.

* * * * *

Adra, Iella and Wedge were seated in Face's office, waiting for him to get back from settling an explosives dispute between Kell and Ryok.  Adra knew that under normal circumstances he'd take longer than the 'I'll be just a few minutes, dear' that he always said, but she silently hoped that for once he'd stick to his words.  Her wishes were rewarded as Face walked through the door and hit the control panel as he passed it.  Iella and Wedge were already on their feet, Adra a bit slower to stand up, for fear of prompting an unwanted wave of nausea.  Unconsciously aware of the Antilles' attention being locked on Face as he walked over to her, she smiled at him slightly.  Adra was about to shoo him off when the now-familiar warnings of 'morning' sickness threatening to take hold.  As she took a deep breath, hoping not to have to duck out of the office right now, she felt Face's steady hand grip her elbow and the other on her shoulder.

Iella noticed this quicker than Wedge did, coming to the immediate conclusion of cause just as quickly.  Adra watched as she glanced between Face and her before a grin split across her face.  Wedge looked as confused as a nerf in a traffic jam.

"I think I know what you're going to tell us, Adra," Iella stated calmly.

"What?"  Wedge demanded almost at once.

Adra rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh.  "I guess I'm going to be taking another temporary leave in another four and a half months...even if I'll find a way to keep going to the simulators."  Iella shot her a hard look, one she returned readily.  Wedge took a moment still, then his eyes widened.

"You mean to tell me that you and Face and going to have another kid?"

As blunt as a thermal detonator, that was Wedge.  Adra sighed again and nodded.  "Yeah, that's about it."

Wedge was immediately shaking his head.  "Oh no you don't.  Not after what happened to Nicola.  Only work you'll be doing is stuff Face assigns you around base, flying into any space battles near the planet, or _easy_ assignments.  And you won't be doing the assignments after another month, I can tell you that.  And absolutely nothing around Sith territory."

She felt her jaw drop even before her shock registered.  "Wedge...General Antilles, sir...with all due respect, I...  You can't do that!"

Wedge looked at her with mild surprise evident on his face.  "I can't do that, eh, Loran?  I just did.  Now I'd like to see you try to go against-"

"You wouldn't do anything," Adra challenged.  "You aren't going to settle this in the sims for fear of hurting my baby and you sure as Sith aren't going to take it up with me over a hand to hand fight, so unless you're proposing you can order Face to put me under quarters arrest, there's nothing you can do.  I may be a pregnant woman, but that doesn't mean that I can't take care of myself.  I wouldn't be having kids if I couldn't."

Behind Wedge, Iella was nodding in approval.  Wedge himself gaped as if he had just gone out an airlock.  Next to her, she felt something like a mixture of smug pride and anticipation radiating off Face in the Force.  No doubt because he was worried about what extent she might go to prove to Wedge Antilles that he was wrong.  At this moment, however, the biggest thing on her mind was a 'fresher and a place to curl up and take a nap.

Wedge finally nodded, still mouthing silently at her.  As he did so, Adra's façade of resilience dropped at once and she offered both Antilles' a shaky smile before she turned towards the office door.  Face had released her minutes earlier but was quick to catch her as she half-shuffled, half-stumbled forward a step.  Iella coughed slightly and then prodded Wedge in the back until he was out the door and had turned down the hall.

Her eyelids beginning to drop, she didn't even register that she had been lifted off her feet and was being moved out of the office.  She let her face fall towards Face's chest, gratefully taking in the pleasant smell that seemed to linger about him.  In minutes that passed like seconds, Adra found herself groggily visualizing the door to their living quarters.  More to help Face than anything else, she used the Force to press in the access code.  The door slid back and once more Face was carrying her towards the bed and the warm oblivion of sleep under warm blankets that it offered.  Her eyes drifted shut even as her head came to rest on the pillow and she didn't even notice that her boots were being taken off.  She drifted back and forth between blankness and the colors around her, trying to stay awake long enough to successfully thank Face.  All she managed to do was give him a smile, which he returned, before she felt the press of a kiss on her forehead, then blackness.


	5. Win or Die

**Chapter Five – _Win or Die_**

Inyri watched quietly from her vantage point as Uncle Kell and Uncle Cloud walked down the hall. It was pretty interesting, in fact, to sit up on tall objects and watch the people who would normally tower over you...only this time you would be watching the tops of their heads. She looked over to Meli and Lis, gesturing with her head after the two explosive experts. Both nodded and then all three grinned, jumping to the hallway bellow. They took off at a run, yelling after their uncles.

"Uncle Kell! Uncle Cloud! Show us how to make big booms!"

The sound of feet shuffling away quickly in front of them only drove them to run faster. Meli rounded the corner first, then Lis, then Inyri. All three sets of eyes took in the sight. Uncle Cloud was slinging a bag over his shoulder, presumably to hide the explosives Inyri knew were in there. Off to one side, there was a pressure release sounding then a muffled click. Uncle Ryok had locked himself in the lab. Scowling darkly, she watched as Uncle Kell disappeared with Uncle Cloud. Liselle suddenly hurried forward and picked up an object that had dropped from Uncle Cloud's overstuffed bag.

"Ooo, I think this is going to make a big boom!" Next second, it was zooming from her grip, no doubt motored by Uncle Cloud's telekinesis powers. Meli, Lis and Inyri all were whining in the second that it was gone.

"But Uncle Cloud!" Lis protested loudly.

"We just wanna blow one thing up..."

"Why can't we use just one grenade?"

But the door closed behind the two other explosives experts and Inyri sighed sadly. "I heard he was a lot more fun until Kav was born. Same with Uncle Kell..." The Afyon twins nodded in agreement. It really was a shame.

* * * * *

Adra looked up as she heard the yells that were, undoubtedly, coming from the 'triplets' of Wraith squadron. At the words 'big boom', she knew she was right. She was sitting in the lounge at this moment, however, and she didn't feel ready to throw up and she was perfectly comfortable where she was, thank you very much. There was no way she was going to be moving. Yet. Across the hall, Adra spotted Tyria moving around the computer room, as usual, but this time with her year-old son, Kavin, holding her hand. She was watching Ty as he typed into the computers. Horrified at the thought of what he might do if he messed up, and it was a possibility for a one year old, she looked over watched him carefully.

Her friend looked up, seeming to know Adra was watching her. No doubt she had a stupid look on her face, but oh well. Tyria smiled over at Adra and in spite of herself, she found her attention moving to wondering when Tyria had come out of her shell. When she started dating Cloud? That sounded about right. And then, it must've been right after he proposed, she spent an entire three days away from the computer room. Well, if he made her happy.

"Don't worry," Tyria's voice hacked across her thoughts, "I'm watching him. He's not going to ruin anything." She paused. "Actually, once he gets to be around 7 or 8 I'll start teaching him to hack, with Nicola and Bror's permission of course."

Rolling her eyes, Adra replied, "Why wait that long? Inyri's already figured out how to hack the sims. No doubt she's shown Lis and Meli by now."

The horrified look held fast to Adra's features. After a moment though, Adra looked away from the computer room, confident that even if Tynian did screw something up, Tyria could fix it. So instead she looked over to Elix, who was standing a few feet off from where she was sitting, looking between Bror and her husband, the latter being the one she was huddled next to.

"Remind me again why you _had_ to get married and have children and raise them in _headquarters_?" Elix questioned for what must've been the fiftieth time.

And for the fiftieth time, Bror answered the same way. "I use the Temple as my second home."

Elix rolled his eyes. "That's wonderful, Bror, but what about the rest of us!"

Bror and Face shrugged at the same time and grinned. This time it was Face who responded. "When you have your own kids, then you'll understand Elix." Elix just muttered, shaking his head, and walked off.

Any reply any of them might've wanted to make was cut off by Inyri skipping into the room and jumping on her father's lap. Adra grinned as she heard Face give a small 'oomph', no doubt do to Inyri's knee connecting with his gut. After a few seconds, Face repositioned the hyperactive child on his lap. She immediately cracked a grin and looked over at Adra, then back at Face.

"Daddy, I wanna do acting," she said. Adra grinned; Inyri was definitely Face's daughter. "I wanna do acting and I wanna be a fighter pilot. Like you and mommy."

Nicola butted in quietly at that point, her expression cool and collected, even as she shook her head. "No child of mind will be flying into combat until she or he is at least fifteen!"

Face, however, was beaming fondly at Inyri. "That's my girl! Just don't go near the Imps." Somehow, Adra had to doubt that's what Inyri meant.

Her suspicions were confirmed as valid with her daughter's next words. "No, I'd do NRI missions. Aunt Iella said that people can do spying and stuff."

That, however, wasn't what she'd wanted to hear. Adra felt her face paling at the idea of Inyri going undercover behind enemy lines. Sure, the Wraiths were an Intel team, but that didn't mean that Adra wanted to hear her daughter saying she wanted to be a spy. "I'd rather her in an X-Wing at age nine than an undercover agent."

Nicola sat down next to Bror and nodded her agreement. "None of my kids are going to get to go near a recruiting office for Intelligence until they're _older_ than sixteen."

Adra frowned, then said, "I think that's a bit unreasonable." Her clause was backed up by the older Afyon twins complaining loudly that Nicola had started flying when she was fourteen. Meanwhile, Inyri was performing a surprisingly accurate reenactment of her father's _Win or Die_ ending scene. Elix, Gaeriel and Asyr were watching, grins on their faces, just as Face was. From the look marring her husbands features, Adra could tell Face was debating whether to smile and laugh or scream in horror.

"Actually, that was only for the Imps. I started flying as a smuggler when I was eight," Nicola corrected swiftly. That response only proved to further heighten Liselle's and Melidere's complaints and protests.

Still watching her own daughter, Adra put in calmly, "Flying is good. Always good." Then she dismissed herself nonverbally from the conversation and looked straight at Inyri, who had just come up from a bow. "And Inyri, if I ever catch you watching an Imperial supporting holovid, you'll find yourself with an ysalamiri over your head."

The girl dashed behind her father, blue eyes wide with fear. Adra couldn't blame her. Her own Jedi Master had threatened her with that once...after a particularly large prank on Mace Windu. Adra turned back to Nicola to listen to her friend's words once more.

"I've got nothing against flying, not in the least. I might even let them start flying in combat younger, but being a NRI agent is a definite no. I had to do too many things that I regret when I was one." The look Nicola wore left no doubt she was thinking of the 'Evin incident'.

Adra nodded in agreement once more, her eyes flicking back to her hiding daughter. "Of course, at the rate these guys are sprouting, we could always form a Junior Wraith squadron. It would be entirely of these crazy kids. Get some Knight to lead it and we'll be fine. Or we can just have Face lead two squadrons."

At that moment, Face turned around and picked Inyri up, swinging her around in a circle above his head. Adra couldn't help smiling as her daughter's happy giggles broke the air.

Still propelling Inyri through the air, Face shook his head. "No, why don't we just have some crazy Wild Knight do it?"

The faces of the three children present all cracked into identical grins. Face settled back on simply holding Inyri, not swinging her around, and glanced between the three of them. Adra quickly hid the smile she felt moving to her face.

"I wanna be ten! Ten is mommy's number," Inyri blurted. Adra's smile came out now.

Nicola's twin daughters jumped up and down excitedly, both chanting at the same time, "I wanna be nine!" Everyone present gave a good laugh at that. Nicola herself smiled at her impetuous daughters as they glared at each other, glowering over the number both wanted but only one would be able to have.

Mara Jade and Ehlana chose that moment to walk in, their expressions serious. Mara, now age sixteen, was currently in command of the Wild Knights and Ehlana, Windu's current padawan, was her twic. In the former's hand was a datapad, no doubt for Face.

"Well, we could always have Mara or Ehlana take them on in their 'spare time'," Adra offered suddenly. Mara's attention snapped from autopilot to the usual sarcasm-spilling, expression-filled Clawdite she was.

"You're talking about your Wraith kids, right?" Everyone around the room nodded. "You must be kidding me...fly with your kids? I'd be dead in a day." Before anyone could off a reason for her to reconsider, a nexu appeared in Mara's place- a simple but effective reminder that she could easily take on a form that would give him or her lots of pain if they tried to forcefully persuade her otherwise. Mara-nexu sprung onto a tabletop, and sat down promptly, the creature's four eyes blinking tentatively. Adra's attention then rerouted to her daughter. Inyri had squirmed out of Face's arms and had walked over to the table, gaze fixed intently on the new creature.

Ehlana's voice brought everyone's attention off Mara. "I think being Master Windu's padawan is supposed to make me sane, not insane."

There was a round of discussion, during which Adra went over to the table to retrieve her daughter. Mara-nexu nodded her head once to Adra, which she returned, and then led Inyri back to the couch. Promptly sitting, Adra smiled as Inyri scrambled up next to her. By the end of the three minutes, the general census was that Mara couldn't leave Wild Knights because she was a good commander with the group she had. New ideas began to pop up slowly after that.

"Then let Mommy's-" Inyri began, only to have Adra cut her off, knowing precisely what her daughter was about to say. "No, we're not talking about that right now, Inyri."

The nexu jumped from the table and turned back into Mara as Face looked up from the datapad in his hands. Aware that his gaze was directly upon her, Adra met his inquisitive eyes with a glare. The challenge she'd unwittingly put there must've seeped across to Face for he slowly began to frown.

"What's this about Mommy, Inyri?" Face asked, looking calmly at his daughter.

She just shook her head back and forth, grinning slightly. "Nothing..." Inyri's voice trailed off into a fit of giggles. Adra resisted the urge to slam her forehead into the nearest hunk of duracrete. Next second, Inyri was in Face's arms, shrieking with laughter. Grimacing slightly in spite of her smile, Adra calmly recognized the method of tickle torture that Face so readily employed. Inyri was squirming, trying to get out of the line of fire, but wasn't getting very far.

Adra watched as Face began to grin, his eyes now on hers. "Just like her mother," he said, continuing to tickle his daughter.

Any further comments he might've made were cut off by Inyri's voice. "Fine! Daddy can know!"

Deciding the conversation was too personal and had come far enough, Adra spoke up. "'Nyri, Daddy already knows these things and is just an insane pilot obsessed with tickle torture."

Behind her, she could hear Nicola's snickering. Face glanced from his daughter's face to Adra's, grinning slightly. "Which thing?" Inyri seized the moment, quickly eluding his grasp while he was preoccupied. Adra, however, just glared at him. Face shrugged it off easily, still watching her. "What did I do now?"

"Acted an idiot."

Adra saw Inyri's jaw drop. "Mommy, don't call Daddy an idiot..."

Before Adra could reply, no doubt with sarcasm this time around, Face answered easily, seemingly unfazed. "'Nyri, your mother does that to me every day of my life."

Bror's mutterings came across the group, easily distinguishable to Adra's ears. "Same here, but especially when she's pregnant."

Now far more than annoyed, Adra snapped, "You can shut your muttering trap this instant, Afyon."

"Get a control of your sithin' hormones, Adra. Bror did absolutely nothing to you," Nicola reprimanded quickly.

Adra glanced at Nicola again, raising an eyebrow, unimpressed. "I will. After I go have another run in the sims." That one she knew Nicola would get. After all, she had acted the same way twice before. Before she or her friend could offer more jabs of good-natured sarcasm, the twins appeared, mouths gaping.

"Mommy! You said one of those bad words!" Their voices hitting the air at the same time, Asyr and Gaeriel laughed silently while Nicola watched the twins. Adra rubbed her forehead with her thumb and forefinger, giving the impression of one who was very tired with the situation. "Great. Just what we need: kids with mouths like a smuggler."

"But Mommy," Inyri whined, now sitting contentedly on her father's lap, "you and Daddy say them all the time."

Nicola was still looking at her daughters, apparently deciding her next choice of words. "Mommy does that a lot, especially when she's angry." Her gaze flipped to Adra, her eyebrow raised. "Your mouth isn't that clean either, Adra."

"I realize," Adra replied dryly.

Face grinned, leaning back, his hands now cushioning his head against an invisible wall. "Ah, the joys of fatherhood."

Adra turned her attention back to him again, smiling slightly. "Glad to know you're up to more than one kid."

He nodded silently to her, then watched as his daughter jumped back to the floor and began reenacting the _Win or Die_ scenes again. Adra just shook her head and smiled slightly. They were going to have to get newer holovids for that girl to memorize. Soon. Face seemed to be guessing her sentiments and quickly stood to scoop Inyri up and swing her around again.


	6. Interesting Information

**Chapter Six – Interesting Information**

Elix blinked at his datapad, a bit surprised at the message that was displayed on it.  He knew Wedge had seriously tendered Tyria Tainer- Kell's wife Tyria, not his sister- and her request for a transfer to Wraith; it only made sense that she wished to keep a closer eye on her husband.  Truth be told, Elix was surprised she'd not _demanded_ the transfer, and at an earlier time than now.

Sure, the two of them had gotten married the year the 'triplets' were born.  Tyria had been pregnant within six months.  Elix smiled slightly to himself at that train of thought; one could definitely say something to the fact that Kell didn't waste time.  And, as rumor and gossip had it, Tyria and Kell were expecting another kid.

With a slight grin, Elix entered a reply.  After he'd made sure it was sent, he went about grabbing and packing all his small amount of belongings in a bag.  Done within twenty standard minutes, Elix grabbed his bag and left to say a farewell to the rest of the squad.  Besides, Vanguard wouldn't be so bad.

* * * * *

Kell was sitting comfortably at one of the tables, his wife of over three years sitting just as comfortably in his lap.  A thought drifted across his mind, remembering just a few days ago when Adra had been sitting on Face's lap.  With a slight chuckle at being in the same situation, Kell quickly stifled it as Tyria lifted her head from his shoulder.  He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the beeping of a comm.  Tyria shifted her position in his lap and pulled the noisy piece of technology out of her pocket.

"Tainer," she said calmly.

"Hello Tyria, it's Wedge.  I already told Vana, but I figured you'd like to know as well.  Elix has agreed to switch squadrons with you; so as of now, you're an official Wraith."

A smile bloomed over Tyria's face, identical to Kell's own smile.  Tyria seemed to realize the comm channel was still open, so she quickly brought it back up from where it, in her hand, had fallen to her lap.

"Thanks Wedge; thanks for letting me know.  'Course, it's not like I don't already live in Wraith headquarters anyways."

"Yeah, I know," Wedge's voice came back, "Well, talk later.  Antilles out."

The smile widened on Tyria's face as she put her comm away and looked at him.  Kell looked right back at her, pleased because she was pleased.  Besides, it would be easier to look after her while she was pregnant, all things considered.  Now he wouldn't have to worry over Vana Sage letting Tyria go up in a dogfight when she really shouldn't.  That seemed to be how it was with all the women in Wraith; both Nicola and Adra had absolutely detested the idea of staying on the ground until they absolutely _had_ to.

Kell suddenly realized Tyria was looking at him, her expression a mixture between amusement and being concerned.

"Tainer to Tainer," she said as she waved a hand in front of his face.  "You okay?"

"Of course not!" Ryok answered as he walked into the room, smiling broadly.  The other pilot sat down across from them and Kell scowled at him.  "Now," said the other demolitions expert, "What are we talking about?"

Before Tyria could answer, Kell grinned and performed the task.  "We're talking about your future love life and family, about how we all are getting to be thinking that you and Aerolin Kast aren't really siblings at all.  See," he said, grin widening still as a look of horror crossed with rage began on Ryok's face, "We all figure that you're just using that to cover it all up that you're in love with her-"  Kell didn't get any farther before Ryok stood abruptly, face livid with anger.

"For your information, Tainer," Ryok hissed through clenched teach, "that _sibling_ of mine died fighting against everyone's favorite head of Imperial Intelligence.  Aerolin Kast is no more my sister than your own sister isn't married to Cloud Ritril."  He turned and took a step in the direction of the door.

"What was that, Necxo?"

Kell looked over to the other door, having not realized Iella Wessiri Antilles was standing there.  Of course, he hadn't realized anything since Ryok had suggested Isard was not dead.  Ryok himself was still standing with his back to Kell and his wife, his shoulders slumped in a defeated way.

Intel's director walked over to them, looking between Kell and Tyria to Ryok, an eyebrow raised in interest.  She didn't appear happy, either.

"Did you just say what I thought you did, Ryok?"

The pilot cringed, muttering something under his breath, but turned to face Iella.  With a visible sigh, he nodded.  "Yeah, I said what you thought I said.  Assuming, of course, you thought I said Isard never died."

Iella stood there for a moment, her expression darkened in thought and a hint of what looked like annoyance, but finally she nodded.  "That would almost make sense," she finally said.  Everyone looked at her, surprise evident in the faces.  Iella merely shrugged and explained.  "Think about it.  Bilbringi wasn't what you'd call a 'usual' attack method for Daala.  And we all know that Thrawn didn't want anything to do with it.  Still though, the attack wasn't poorly staged, it didn't have an evident weakness that was easily accessible.  Daala's usual attacks have some flaw that can be seen from someone, whether it be Cracken or Wedge or bel Iblis.

"And, as we all know, the suggested Bilbringi gain for the Imperials floated just their way.  That means that Imperial Intelligence isn't doing as horribly as it was a few months before then.  And, as much as I hate to suggest it, that only leaves the possibility that it was a second Isard clone that I shot and killed, not the Sithwitch herself."

When she finished, the room, previously humming softly, was silent.  Finally, Tyria appeared to come up with something.

"You know...that would almost make sense.  And we only really started having the thoughts on information leaks after Aerolin Kast came from flight school.  While Daala might've learned some stuff about torturing, she certainly isn't genius enough to brainwash all by herself.  Only Isard could do that to perfection."  Kell tightened his grip around his wife's midsection in a silent hug, then looked back to Iella.

She was still standing in the spot she'd been before, her expression dark and thoughtful.  At last, the woman sighed, shaking her head.  "We only suspect, which is unfortunate.  We don't have any hard evidence.  We can't do anything about it until then."  She paused, glancing at Ryok oddly, then went on.  "However, I need to get back to Intel.  I want Winter to run a few scans..." And this was where she broke off, talking more to herself about plans than to either Kell, Tyria or Ryok.

The New Republic's Intelligence head walked out of the Wraith lounge once more, heading off in the direction of the docking bay.  Somehow, Kell thought, he got the suspicion that the Rogues would be having their files scanned once again.  And this time it would center around a specific person.


	7. Food Fight!

**Chapter Seven - Food Fight!**

Mirax grinned at Ari as the younger girl explained her plan, a delightfully evil plan of putting Wedge and Han in the simulators against Ari and her twin, Aurra.  The squadron had just gone over the new roster listings, and they were now eating a noisy meal in the mess hall.  Wes was standing on a table, saying gleefully that Red Flight was once again reunited and that he must, once more, protect Hobbie from his favorite button:  the eject button.

"But I _like_ that button..." Hobbie said, face falling past its normally downcast look.  The pilot sighed and ate another bite of what looked like pasta in front of him.

General Antilles looked up at Wes, rolling his eyes as well as Mirax could make out, at the pilot standing over his plate.  "Wes, get off the table.  People actually have to eat here."  Wedge got up and dumped his trash, then went over to another table to see if he could collect Tycho.

As he passed, Mirax saw him glance over at her, Ari and Lujayne.  Ari was still talking about how she and Aurra couldn't wait until they were eighteen and could perform their little trick on their grandfather and 'Uncle' Wedge.  A second later, Mirax elbowed her new wingmate, gesturing to him.  He was talking to Tycho, but still... Mirax didn't want Ari's plan ruined.

_Oh..._ Ari's voice came across, sniggering slightly.  _Hope he didn't hear.  If he did, he'll have time to teach Grandpa Han how to fly an X-Wing without being killed._

That much caused Mirax to laugh outright.  Tycho said something that made Wedge curse slightly.  Next second, Ari was calling over to them, obviously having heard the conversation between the Alderaanian and the Corellian.

"Tycho!" she gave him a scowling look as he looked over.  Wedge turned to look at her, glaring.  The girl merely shrugged, nonchalantly at him.  "Well what did you expect?  That's what happens when you let me get ideas from Wes."

Wedge stared at their table- and occupants- for a few minutes.  Behind him, Mirax noticed him grabbing at something on the table, though she couldn't make out what it was.  Tycho was hurriedly standing to throw his garbage away.  At that exact moment, Wedge threw the unidentified object at Wes.  Next to her, she felt Ari reach out with the Force and grab the nearest tub of gloop that was today's meal.  The bucket of 'food' turned itself bottom up over Wedge's head.

She was still glaring at him as he removed it.  "Don't you ever throw stuff at Master Janson," Ari said seriously.  Mirax glanced at her quickly, only to find the girl trying not to laugh.

Across the hall, Wes's voice rang out again.  "Food fight!!"

Those two words sent Wedge and Tycho to stand as far from the tables as possible, Wedge trying to get the mess off his jacket as best he could.  Mirax spun around quickly and grabbed her plate, then turned to see food flying in every direction.  Ari was grinning wickedly next to her, her own plate in hand.

Mirax grinned slightly, and then gestured to the two plates.  "Mind using TK?"

She saw Ari look over, a grin plastered permanently on her face.  The girl nodded enthusiastically, looking around.  "Who are we aiming at, Nine?"

"Our glorious leader, of course, Ten," Mirax replied.

The next second, Mirax's plate was flying from her hand, Ari's following as if it were stutter fire from an X-Wing's lasers.  The first plate collided evenly with the back of Wedge's head, the second one hitting his back, completely covering the back of his jacket.

Ari was still sitting up as Wedge began to turn.  Mirax herself was hidden down underneath the table, laughing silently.  Before Wedge could see Ari's stupid grin, she grabbed the back of the girl's shirt and pulled her down.  Unfortunately, Tycho had seen them.  And Tycho being Tycho the Alderaanian Tycho...  Mirax cursed at him as he pointed them out for Wedge.

"Why do all Alderaanians have to be peaceable?" Ari asked her quietly.

Mirax hardly paid any attention to the question other than to shrug, knowing full well it was merely a rhetorical question meant to be funny in its sarcastic way.  She whispered some very uncomplimentary words at him as before saying, "I have no clue...  Get him!"

The glass of juice- half full- that Mirax had been drinking with her lunch launched itself to spill all over Tycho's head.

Over at the other table, Janson was dumping a huge bucket of food over Hobbie's head.  Mirax, her attention diverted from Wedge and his faithful Executive Officer by Hobbie's curse, looked over to watch as Hobbie picked up his plate and shoved it into Janson's face.  Behind them, Aerolin was standing from her seat to, presumably, walk towards the nearest exit.  Rhysati ran after her, grabbed her wingmate's arm, and dragged her back into the fight.  Mirax laughed evenly as she saw a plate of food delivered squarely to Aerolin's face.

Returning to her own 'problems', Mirax quickly decided on her course of action.  Her lightsaber was taken from her belt and quickly activated, the blade hissing to life.  She touched it to her skin and immediately focused the energy to her otherwise nonexistent telekinesis powers.  Another pitcher of water dumped itself over Tycho's head.  The Alderaanian could be heard muttering nonsense words; then he grabbed a plate of food and shoved it in Wedge's face.

Gleefully laughing, Mirax looked over at Ari, nodding towards their head of squadron's new attire.  "Remind me to thank Wedge later for bringing me into this squadron," she told her wingmate.

"Sure thing, Nine," came the reply.  Next second, they were both on the floor in fits of laughter; Wedge had delivered the same 'favor' to Tycho's face.

* * * * *

Behind him, his Aunt Iella was walking with his mother, their paces evenly matched, as they moved in the direction of the mess hall.  He didn't have nearly as much patience.  However, as a six year old, he did have a viable excuse.  Besides, Aunt Iella walked too slowly for his taste.

"Calik, don't run," his mother reminded him as he made to sprint ahead.

Calik ignored her request, considering he could now see the entrance to the mess hall, and he slipped through the door gleefully.  A few paces in front of him, his father was standing with Uncle Wedge, both of their uniforms covered in food.  Giggling slightly at the sight that he knew he'd remember forever, he looked around the room some more, seeing Ari Solo and Mirax Halcyon hiding under Lujayne Forge's table.  Uncle Wes and Uncle Hobbie were flinging food left and right even as Rhysati dumped a glass of something over Aerolin's head.

He grinned to himself and quickly hurried over to stand in an out-of-sight place behind a free table.  Here, he knew he could listen to both Uncle Wedge and Daddy, along with Mirax and Ari.  The latter two usually were pretty funny anyway.

"You know," he heard Uncle Wedge say, even as he looked over to them, "Winter and Iella are so going to kill us later."  He paused, then grinned.  "Oh well."

Calik sniggered slightly into his hand, knowing full well it wouldn't be 'oh well' when his mother and aunt walked into the room in a few minutes.  But Daddy was talking, so Calik had to listen and find out what they were saying.  "Yep.  Speaking of those two, we should probably bail before they decide to waltz in for lunch."

Before he could really take in the concept of his father's words, he heard Ari saying something to Mirax.  "Hey, if they've not come for lunch yet, what's say we pelt 'em with food?"  Calik's eyes widened at the thought that they would try to involve his mother and his aunt in a food fight, his mouth gaping.

"Why couldn't you have gotten Wes up to the emotion age of at least 15?" Calik heard his Uncle Wedge ask suddenly.  That was a question he often heard, and not just from his uncle.

His father looked at Wedge incredulously, saying, "Me?  Why would you ask me that?"

"Because being the busy person that I am, I thought my XO might have been able to accomplish what I don't have time for."  Privately, Calik thought it was more like 'didn't have the ability to do'.  However, he was not part of this conversation; he was merely an observer.

"I see," his father replied.  "Well, I can always see if I can find the time in _my busy schedule, since it seems that whenever __you are overloaded, I get the extras.  Meaning, debriefing every other squadron, making Janson understand he can't do X, X, or X anymore..."_

Calik watched and listened to his father rant on and on, only stopping as a hand suddenly covered his mouth.  With a gleeful laugh, he ran over to where his mother was holding her hand over his father's mouth.  As he got there, he wrapped his arms around his father's legs, barely making it to his knees in height.

Before he even knew what was going on, he was in his father's arms, being hugged.  Next to him, Aunt Iella had just pulled Uncle Wedge in front of her.  A second later, he understood why: a plate of food smacked into his uncle's shoulder, obviously having been from Ari and Mirax in an attempt to hit Aunt Iella.  He started laughing again at the face his uncle wore.  Now his uniform was covered from nearly head to toe...and, of course, Aunt Iella's was impeccably spotless.

"Welcome," Uncle Wedge began, even as he moved away from standing in front of his wife, "as Kell Tainer would say, to Dinner and Silly Squadron."

Calik looked over at his mother as she lifted him from his father's arms- he now had food particles on him- and spoke.  "I see.  Weren't those Face Loran's ideas?" she asked in her soft way.

Wedge nodded, a smile on his face.  "Yes, but it was Kell who voiced them to the Imps."  As he spoke, he reached over and rubbed Calik's hair around by way of greeting.  When he withdrew his hand, Calik shook his head out of whatever food might've ended up in it, hands searching in the same process.

He felt a clothe rubbing something from his face as soon as he was done; quickly, he looked up to see that it was Aunt Iella with a napkin.  She was speaking to Uncle Wedge as she rubbed his cheek clean.  "Silly Squadron is more appropriate.  Oh, and Wedge, I'm not cleaning your uniform this time."

His uncle shrugged, obviously not worried about hearing she wouldn't clean it.  "That's what Janson's for, after all."

Once his aunt finished her cleaning of his face, Calik rested his head on his mother's shoulder, his arms wrapped loosely around her neck.  He saw her glance over at him, then look over at Uncle Wedge.  "Oh.  I never knew he liked talking with Imperials.  Although, it certainly seems as if the rest of your squadron doesn't mind it."  She was obviously drawing the talk back to Rogue Squadron as a whole, no doubt ready to tell them what Calik had helped them find in the datacard piles.

Uncle Wedge, poised to throw another plate of food, paused, glancing at his wife and Calik's mother.  "Wait a second... Winter, do you mean like another Dlarit?"

Next to him, Calik saw his father look at his mother with a bit of surprise.  Then she nodded so both of them could see, not bothering to cover the truth by any pretty words.

The plate of food dropped to the ground from his uncle's grip as the man asked, sounding a bit like he dreaded the answer, "Please tell me it's not in Rogue Squadron.  It's not, right?  Please, please, _please_ tell me this!"

His mother glanced at his aunt, her expression unchanging.  She sighed, then answered.  "I would tell you that, but I'm afraid I would be lying."

"Shavit," he said, unthinking.  Calik saw his parents exchange a glance, then he saw Uncle Wedge look at him quickly.  "And don't you go repeating that one, Cal."

Calik nodded into his mother's shoulder, still not saying anything.  "That's actually what we came to tell you, since I'd just given Winter the updated rosters.  She was showing Calik how to update them and he thought a certain holoimage looked familiar to something he saw on another Imperial file we hadn't looked at in over four years.  Winter agreed with him.  While they had been working, I went to Wraith...and walked in on an interesting conversation.  Apparently this isn't just a hunch."

As his aunt finished, Calik felt his mother nudge him with her shoulder.  He had known all along that he had the datacard- how could he forget, after all, with his memory?- and he quickly fished it from his pocket.  As it was offered, his uncle took it an inserted it into a datapad his father offered him.  As soon as the information was loaded, Calik watched the two of them read it silently.

When they finished, Wedge looked around the room, his gaze landing on Aerolin Kast.  He watched the pilot for a moment, as did Calik himself, and then Uncle Wedge looked at his father.  Calik saw his father return the look, the only difference was that his Dad had an eyebrow raised.

"Well," hi uncle spoke at last, "at least they can't blame you this time."  There was a rather odd pause, in which time Calik could hear Uncle Wes saying something to Aunt Rhysati, then, "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Wedge," Aunt Iella's voice stopped the two of them.  "We can't bring her in yet.  We have no evidence that she's transferring data to the Imperials at all.  We don't even know for certain if she's Ryok Necxo's sister."

Calik saw his uncle heave a sigh, then nod.  "Alright, then what do you want us to do?"

Before either his aunt or his mother could say anything, Calik's father suddenly asked, "Wait.  Who's behind this?  Daala isn't intelligent enough to come up with a way to brainwash and torture at the same time.  She might've done some of it, but it can't have been just her."

The pause lasted longer this time, almost as if no one wanted to say anything that would set things off.  At last, Calik decided it was his job to say it.  He lifted his head from his mother's shoulder and looked around the group of four adults.

"It's Ysanne Isard, Daddy," he said quietly, not wanting to say it too loud.

All eyes turned to him and then Uncle Wedge went off in a stream of thick curses.  His father looked a bit paler than usual and both his mother and aunt were grim.  The noise of fun from the food fight suddenly didn't seem as loud as it had moments before.  Not if it truly were the person his mother had called Iceheart.


End file.
